Sex-related patterns in the electroencephalogram and their relevance in machine learning classifiers. - In: Human brain mapping, ISSN 1097-0193, Bd. 44 (2023), 14, S. 4848-4858
Deep learning is increasingly being proposed for detecting neurological and psychiatric diseases from electroencephalogram (EEG) data but the method is prone to inadvertently incorporate biases from training data and exploit illegitimate patterns. The recent demonstration that deep learning can detect the sex from EEG implies potential sex-related biases in deep learning-based disease detectors for the many diseases with unequal prevalence between males and females. In this work, we present the male- and female-typical patterns used by a convolutional neural network that detects the sex from clinical EEG (81% accuracy in a separate test set with 142 patients). We considered neural sources, anatomical differences, and non-neural artifacts as sources of differences in the EEG curves. Using EEGs from 1140 patients, we found electrocardiac artifacts to be leaking into the supposedly brain activity-based classifiers. Nevertheless, the sex remained detectable after rejecting heart-related and other artifacts. In the cleaned data, EEG topographies were critical to detect the sex, but waveforms and frequencies were not. None of the traditional frequency bands was particularly important for sex detection. We were able to determine the sex even from EEGs with shuffled time points and therewith completely destroyed waveforms. Researchers should consider neural and non-neural sources as potential origins of sex differences in their data, they should maintain best practices of artifact rejection, even when datasets are large, and they should test their classifiers for sex biases.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26417
Current to biomass: media optimization and strain selection from cathode-associated microbial communities in a two-chamber electro-cultivation reactor. - In: Environments, ISSN 2076-3298, Bd. 10 (2023), 6, 97, S. 1-19
Cathode-associated microbial communities (caMCs) are the functional key elements in the conversion of excess electrical energy into biomass. In this study, we investigated the development of electrochemical caMCs based on two-chamber microbial electrolytic cells (MECs) after optimization of media composition. Microbial communities obtained from a historical soil sample were inoculated into the cathode chamber of MECs. The inorganic medium with (A) carbon dioxide in air or (B) 100 mM sodium bicarbonate as carbon source was used in the absence of any organic carbon source. After 12 days of operation, the experimental results showed that (1) the bacterial community in group B exhibited lush growth and (2) a single strain TX168 Epilithonimonas bovis isolated from group A indicated electrochemical activity and synthesized large volumes of biomass using sodium bicarbonate. We also analyzed the caMCs of the MECs and reference samples without electro-cultivation using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the caMCs of MECs in groups A and B were dominated by the genera Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas. The caMCs were further inoculated and cultured on different agars to isolate specific electroactive bacterial strains. Overall, our study highlights the possibility of converting excess energy into biomass by electro-cultivation and the importance of selecting appropriate media to enrich specific microbial communities and single strains in MECs.
https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10060097
Binary fluids in mesoporous materials: phase separation studied by NMR relaxation and diffusion. - In: Magnetic resonance letters, ISSN 2772-5162, Bd. 3 (2023), 2, S. 108-117
Relaxation and diffusion measurements were carried out on single and binary liquids filling the pore space of controlled porous glass Vycor with an average pore size of about 4 nm. The dispersion of the longitudinal relaxation time T1 is discussed as a means to identify liquid-surface interaction based on existing models developed for metal-free glass surfaces. In addition, the change of T1 and T2 with respect to their bulk values is discussed, in particular T2 serves as a probe for the strength of molecular interactions. As the native glass surface is polar and contains a large amount of hydroxyl groups, a pronounced interaction of polar and protic adsorbate liquids is expected; however, the T1 dispersion, and the corresponding reduction of T2, are also observed for non-polar liquids such as alkanes and cyclohexane. Deuterated liquids are employed for simplifying data analysis in binary systems, but also for separating the respective contributions of intra- and intermolecular interactions to the overall relaxation rate. Despite the lack of paramagnetic impurities in the glass material, 1H and 2H relaxation dispersions of equivalent molecules are frequently found to differ from each other, suggesting intermolecular relaxation mechanisms for the 1H nuclei. The variation of the T1 dispersion when comparing single and binary systems gives clear evidence for the preferential adsorption of one of the two liquids, suggesting complete phase separation in several cases. Measurement of the apparent tortuosity by self-diffusion experiments supports the concept of a local variation of sample composition within the porespace.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrl.2023.03.002
Ni/Al multilayer reactions on nanostructured silicon substrates. - In: Journal of materials science, ISSN 1573-4803, Bd. 58 (2023), 31, S. 12811-12826
Fast energy release, which is a fundamental property of reactive multilayer systems, can be used in a wide field of applications. For most applications, a self-propagating reaction and adhesion between the multilayers and substrate are necessary. In this work, a distinct approach for achieving self-propagating reactions and adhesion between deposited Ni/Al reactive multilayers and silicon substrate is demonstrated. The silicon surface consists of random structures, referred to as silicon grass, which were created by deep reactive ion etching. Using the etching process, structure units of heights between 8 and 13 µm and density between 0.5 and 3.5 structures per µm^2 were formed. Ni and Al layers were alternatingly deposited in the stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 using sputtering, to achieve a total thickness of 5 µm. The analysis of the reaction and phase transformation was done with high-speed camera, high-speed pyrometer, and X-ray diffractometer. Cross-sectional analysis showed that the multilayers grew only on top of the silicon grass in the form of inversed cones, which enabled adhesion between the silicon grass and the reacted multilayers. A self-propagating reaction on silicon grass was achieved, due to the thermally isolating air pockets present around these multilayer cones. The velocity and temperature of the reaction varied according to the structure morphology. The reaction parameters decreased with increasing height and decreasing density of the structures. To analyze the exact influence of the morphology, further investigations are needed.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-023-08794-9
Multifunctional two-component in-situ hydrogel for esophageal submucosal dissection for mucosa uplift, postoperative wound closure and rapid healing. - In: Bioactive materials, ISSN 2452-199X, Bd. 27 (2023), S. 461-473
Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastrointestinal tumors and premalignant lesions needs submucosal fluid cushion (SFC) for mucosal uplift before dissection, and wound care including wound closure and rapid healing postoperatively. Current SFC materials as well as materials and/or methods for post-ESD wound care have single treatment effect and hold corresponding drawbacks, such as easy dispersion, short duration, weak hemostasis and insufficient repair function. Thus, designing materials that can serve as both SFC materials and wound care is highly desired, and remains a challenge. Herein, we report a two-component in-situ hydrogel prepared from maleimide-based oxidized sodium alginate and sulfhydryl carboxymethyl-chitosan, which gelated mainly based on "click" chemistry and Schiff base reaction. The hydrogels showed short gelation time, outstanding tissue adhesion, favorable hemostatic properties, and good biocompatibility. A rat subcutaneous ultrasound model confirmed the ability of suitable mucosal uplift height and durable maintenance time of AM solution. The in vivo/in vitro rabbit liver hemorrhage model demonstrated the effects of hydrogel in rapid hemostasis and prevention of delayed bleeding. The canine esophageal ESD model corroborated that the in-situ hydrogel provided good mucosal uplift and wound closure effects, and significantly accelerated wound healing with accelerating re-epithelization and ECM remodeling post-ESD. The two-component in-situ hydrogels exhibited great potential in gastrointestinal tract ESD.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.04.015
Glass-LTCC-interposer, a new plattform for HF-applications. - In: 2023 IMAPS Nordic Conference on Microelectronics Packaging (NordPac), (2023), S. 1-5
This publication introduces a new interposer made from a thin glass substrate and a multilayer LTCC compound. Combination of these two material classes into an interposer substrate enables the application of thin-film and thick-film technology in one substrate. In this study thin (100 - 200 μm) Borosilicate glass AF45® is applied. The glass substrate includes through glass vias, filled with Au-paste to provide the electrical connection from the glass surface to the underlying electrical structures on the LTCC uppermost layer. The multilayer LTCC green tapes DuPont™ 9K7 are prepared with ground structures on the uppermost layer. After the final lamination of the LTCC-multilayers to the glass, a sintering step causes the mechanical joint of the two materials as an interposer substrate. To demonstrate the Glass-LTCC-Interposer for HF-applications, microstrip line, coplanar waveguide and ring resonator were simulated, designed and fabricated. For the fabrication of fine lines and spaces, the semi-additive technology applying Auresinate paste in combination with Au-galvanic deposition was utilized. Finally, the realized structures were characterized up to 60 GHz. The HF-investigations of the realized structures on the glass-LTCC-interposer confirm the accuracy of this structuring method. Furthermore, these investigations approve the new interposer as a proper substrate for HF-applications.
https://doi.org/10.23919/NordPac58023.2023.10186223
Electrically driven free shear flows in a duct under a transverse uniform magnetic field. - In: Magnetohydrodynamics, Bd. 59 (2023), 1, S. 3-22
A mathematical model of two-dimensional electrically driven laminar plane free shear flows in a straight duct under the action of an applied spanwise uniform magnetic field is considered. The mathematical approach is like that used in the research of Hunt and Williams (J. Fluid. Mech., 31, 705, 1968) and Kolesnikov and Kalis (Magnetohydrodynamics, vol. 57, 2021, no. 2). A system of stationary partial differential equations with two unknown functions of velocity and induced magnetic field is solved. The electric current is injected into the liquid by means of two couples of linear electrodes located vis-à-vis on opposite duct walls, perpendicular to the magnetic field. Three cases are considered. One pair of electrodes is current supplied and, depending on the direction of electric current injection on the electrode pair, two coinciding or two counter flows are also driven. At Hartmann numbers Ha >> 1, quasi-potential cores are formed in these flows, bounded by lateral Shercliff free boundary layers parallel to the field and two Hartmann layers on the walls perpendicular to the field. As a result, almost all of the injected current passes through these layers. An increase of the magnetic field leads only to an internal rearrangement of the potential cores of the flows. The Hartmann number varies in the range from 1 to 100.
https://doi.org/10.22364/mhd.59.1.1
Thermal boundary condition studies in large aspect ratio Rayleigh-Bénard convection. - In: European journal of mechanics, ISSN 1873-7390, Bd. 101 (2023), S. 283-293
We study the influence of thermal boundary conditions on large aspect ratio Rayleigh-Bénard convection by a joint analysis of experimental and numerical data sets for a Prandtl number Pr=7 and Rayleigh numbers Ra=105−106. The spatio-temporal experimental data are obtained by combined Particle Image Velocimetry and Particle Image Thermometry measurements in a cuboid cell filled with water at an aspect ratio Γ=25. In addition, numerical data are generated by Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) in domains with Γ=25 and Γ=60 subject to different idealized thermal boundary conditions. Our experimental data show an increased characteristic horizontal extension scale ÜÞλ of the flow structures for increasing Ra , which due to an increase of the convective heat transfer also leads to an increase of the Biot number (Bi) at the cooling plate. However, we find the experimental flow structure size to range in any case in between the ones observed for the idealized thermal boundary conditions captured by the simulations: On the one hand, they are larger than in the numerical case with applied uniform temperatures at the plates. On the other hand, they are smaller than in the case of an applied constant heat flux, the latter of which leads to a structure that grows gradually up to the horizontal domain size. We are able to link this observation qualitatively to theoretical predictions for the onset of convection. Furthermore, we study the effect of the asymmetric boundary conditions on the heat transfer. Contrasting experimental and numerical data reveals an increased probability of far-tail events of reversed heat transfer. The successive decomposition of the local Nusselt number Nuloc traces this effect back to the sign of the temperature deviation ÜÞΘ, eventually revealing asymmetries of the heating and cooling plate on the thermal variance of the generated thermal plumes.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechflu.2023.06.003
Data-informed reservoir computing for efficient time-series prediction. - In: Chaos, ISSN 1089-7682, Bd. 33 (2023), 7, 073109, S. 073109-1-073109-11
We propose a new approach to dynamical system forecasting called data-informed-reservoir computing (DI-RC) that, while solely being based on data, yields increased accuracy, reduced computational cost, and mitigates tedious hyper-parameter optimization of the reservoir computer (RC). Our DI-RC approach is based on the recently proposed hybrid setup where a knowledge-based model is combined with a machine learning prediction system, but it replaces the knowledge-based component by a data-driven model discovery technique. As a result, our approach can be chosen when a suitable knowledge-based model is not available. We demonstrate our approach using a delay-based RC as the machine learning component in conjunction with sparse identification of nonlinear dynamical systems for the data-driven model component. We test the performance on two example systems: the Lorenz system and the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky system. Our results indicate that our proposed technique can yield an improvement in the time-series forecasting capabilities compared with both approaches applied individually, while remaining computationally cheap. The benefit of our proposed approach, compared with pure RC, is most pronounced when the reservoir parameters are not optimized, thereby reducing the need for hyperparameter optimization.
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0152311
3D passive microfluidic valves in silicon and glass using grayscale lithography and reactive ion etching transfer. - In: Microfluidics and nanofluidics, ISSN 1613-4990, Bd. 27 (2023), 8, 55, S. 1-12
A fabrication strategy for high-efficiency passive three-dimensional microfluidic valves with no mechanical parts fabricated in silicon and glass substrates is presented. 3D diffuser-nozzle valve structures were produced and characterized in their added value in comparison to conventional diffuser-nozzle valve designs with rectangular cross sections. A grayscale lithography approach for 3D photoresist structuring combined with a proportional transfer by reactive ion etching allowed to transfer 3D resist valve designs with high precision into the targeted substrate material. The efficiency with respect to the rectification characteristics or so-called diodicity of the studied valve designs is defined as the ratio of the pressure drops in backward and forward flow directions. The studied valve designs were characterized experimentally as well as numerically based on finite element simulations with overall matching results that demonstrate a significantly improved flow rectification of the 3D valves compared to the corresponding conventional structure. Our novel 3D valve structures show, for instance, even without systematic optimization a measured diodicity of up to 1.5 at low flow rates of only about 10 μl/s.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-023-02663-2